[Photo from hamburg-travel.com]

There is wilderness even in the middle of Europe! Large areas of the Wadden Sea on the North Sea coast are still preserved in their original condition.

The states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony have designated their portions of the Wadden Sea as national parks. This highest category of conservation is an internationally-recognised rating for this unique natural area. Since the end of June 2011, the entire German section of the Wadden Sea, including the Hamburg Wadden Sea, is now a World Heritage Site after more than 9,500 square kilometres of tidal flats off the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and the Netherlands were included in 2009. This also closed a gap in protection.

The exploitation of natural resources in the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park is largely prohibited. The national park captivates with its undisturbed nature and is a wonderful destination for day trippers and holidaymakers: Walks through the salt marshes, a dip in the sea, hiking through the tidal flats, trips to the seal colonies and bird watching during the breeding season or by the resting places of countless breeding birds are some of the national park's special attractions.

The national park also includes the islands of Neuwerk, Scharhörn and Nigehörn.